Electric switch



B. E. GETCHELL. ELECTRIC SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED MAY 26. 1919.

Patented J an. (i, 1920.

Arm/mm makesitv possible BENJAMIN EVERETT GiE'ICI-IELL. OF PL KINVILLE. CONNECTICUT. ASSIGNOR TO THE 7 TRUMBULL ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY. CUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

0F PLAINVILLE, CQNNEGTT- ELECTRIC SVIITCH.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6,19%?

ipplication filed May 26. 1919. Serial No. 299,931.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l BENJAMIN l h'nn d'rr (in'icnnnn, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Plainville, Connecticut. have invented a new and useful Electric Switch, of which the following is a slwcilication.

The present invention has reference to low voltage. switch release mechanism, and the. objects of the inventiim are to provide simple and practical switch release mechanisnrwhich when so desired, can be manually and entirely indepemlently oi the automatic control.

Briefly, the invention resides in the provision ol"a push button orother conveniently operable. device which can be operated to mechanically trip the switch hold ing latch independently of the connection between the controlling eleet-romagnet and the latch mechanism. This. construction to inclose the. electro-mag notic trip mechanism within a suitable protective casing, and to make the push button or. other actuating device the. only exposed portion of the apparatus. This also makes it. possible to directly operate the trip in case the electro-magnetic meclninism should stick and hence fail to trip the latch when it should.

Otheradvantages and features of the invention will become. apparent as the specification proceeds.

1n the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated the invention embodied in a practical commercial form, but have it understood that the form of the structure may he modified without departure from the spirit and scope of the inveir tion.

In this-drawing:

Figure. l, is a side elevation of the invention as appliedto an inclosed or sai'et v switch, only a portion of the switch casing appearing in this view;

v Fig. 2, is a sectional view of the mechanism taken substantially on the plane of the line 22 of Fig 1.

Fig.3, is a' fragmentary view illustrating the operation of the device.

5 designates aportion of the switch box or casing within which the switch m qhanism is mounteda-nd (3 designates the ".rtch op crating handle which is connected .with and tripped would Y may be considered as forming a part of the movable element of the switch.

The latch mechanism comprises a latch lever 7 pivoted at 8 and provided with a hook 9 at its forward end for holding engagelnent with a pin 10 on the switch lever 6.

The latch lever is secured in holding engagement with the movable switchclemexit by a trip lever 11 pivoted at 12 and provided with a shoulder 13 forming a rest or stop enga ing the rearward end of the trip lever (seel igs. 1 and2). Arelatively light spring 14 connected with the trip leverrocks said trip lever over into position to bring the shoulder 13 thereon into supporting position beneath the rearward end of the trip lever and said latter end of the trip lever is acted upon by a spring 15 which rocks the latch lever out of its holding position when the rearward end thereof is freed from engagement/with the shoulder on the trip lever (see Fig.

The automatic release of the switch is accomplished by the falling of the solenoid core 16, provided witlra head 17 overstanding an angularly projecting arm 18 on the trip lever, said core being smpported, when theswitch is closed, by the solenoid winding 19 and adapted to fall when said winding is detnergized or when the voltage drops to a predeterinined point and to thereupon operate the trip lever. v

Theswitch may be released independently of the automatic control by means of a push button 20 having a pointed or ea-n'rtaced lower end 21 adapted to engage a shoulder or cam surface 22 on the trip lever. This push button is normally sustained by a spring 23'and it will be clear from -Figs. 2 and 8 that when the same is depressed, the trip lever will be rocked in a direction to carry the supporting shoulder 13 from beneath the rearward end of the latch lever, whereupon the latch lever will be'trippcd from holding engagement with the movable switch element.

The solenoid 1t) and core 16, constituting the clectro-magnetie trip mechanism, are protected by a casing 2&' which wpreie ably' covers the top of the solenoid to revent access of dust, ete., to the movab e core. The p ash button i. shown extending through! the wall of this casing and it-will be till .to release the switch in case the armature of the magnet should become caught,'or the parts should stick or fail to operate properly. I

I claim:

l. The combination with the movableelement of an electric switch, of a latch lever for holding said'movable switch element in one position, a trip lever for securing the latch lever in holding position, an electromagnet for freeing the trip lever from holding engagement with the latch lever, said trip lever having an arm for engagement with the latch lever and provided with a cam shoulder, and an operating member for said trip lever engaging said cam shoulder.

2. In an electric switch, a pivoted operating handle, a spring actuated latch pivoted .on an axis parallel to the axis of the operating lever adapted to engage and holdthe operating lever, a spring actuated trip lever pivoted on an axis at right angles to the axis of the latch, electro-magnetically operated means for moving the trip lever, and a spring pressed member independent of the electro-magnetically operated means adapted to operate said trip lever and havihg an exposed manually operable push button.

In an electric switch, an exposed pivoted operating lever, a pivoted latch adapted to engage said lever, a trip lever for engaging said latch, electro-magnetically operated for moving said trip lever, a housing inelosing said trip lever, said electro-magnetically operated means and part. of said latch, and an exposed push button having a shank extending into said housing for operating said trip lever and independent of said electro-magnetically operated means.

i. In an electric switch, a box for the switch mechanism, an external operating handle, a

external to the box for engaging said handle, a trip lever external to the box for holding said latch, electro-ma etlcally operated means external to the ox for mo'ving said lever, a manually operable ush button for moving said trip lever, an a housing external to said box and inclosing said electro-magnetically operated means, said trip lever and a part of said latch.

5. In an electric switch, an operating handle, a latch for engaging said handle, a trip lever for engaging. said latch, electro-magnetically operated means including a longitudinally movable member for engaging said trip lever, and a spring pressed manually operable push button movable on an axis parallel" to said longitudinally movable part but independent thereof for operating said trip lever. I

v 6. In an electric switch, an operating handle having a spring tending to move it in one direction, a spring actuated latch for engaging said handle, a spring actuated trip lever- 'for engaging said latch, an electromagnet cally operated device-for operating 'said trip lever, and a spring pressed manually operable device independent thereof for matically operable releasing means for said trip lever, said trip lever having an arm with a bearing shoulder and a manually operable push button having a conical bearing sur-.- face for engagement with said bearing shoulder.

'9. In an electric switch, an operating handle, a spring actuated latch, a spring actuated trip lever, automatic means for operatingsaid trip lever, said trip lever having an arm provided with an extended bearing surface and a manually operable push button having a bearing face adapted to co-act with said extended bearing surface.

. 10. In an electric switch, an operating handle, a spring actuated latch, a spring actuated trip lever, automatically operable means for moving said trip lever, a spring pressed manually operable push button having an inclined face for engaging a portion of said trip lever.

BENJAEHK EVERETT GETCHELL. 

